The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, has raised concern over the activities of organised human trafficking criminal gangs operating globally.
Speaking at the “Future of Online Safety — Combating Evolving Digital Crimes in Africa” summit organised by Meta in Abuja, Bello called for a proactive approach in tackling the evolving menace.
According to Bello, human trafficking has moved aggressively into the digital environment, with perpetrators using social media platforms to recruit victims, extort money, and exploit vulnerable people, often across borders.
“Perpetrators now use social media platforms to recruit victims, extort money, and exploit vulnerable people, often across borders. This has given rise to cyber-enabled trafficking, sextortion, and technology-facilitated violence, particularly against women and children,” she said.
Bello noted that the online environment is borderless, making it possible for crimes committed in one country to victimise individuals thousands of miles away. She stressed that no single government, company, or agency can fight this alone, highlighting the importance of strategic cooperation among partners.
The NAPTIP DG commended Meta for hosting the largest number of online users in Africa, saying this places the company in a uniquely powerful position to help detect, prevent, and respond to online harms from human trafficking and sextortion to scams and misinformation.
Bello assured that NAPTIP is ready to deepen its collaboration with Meta through a formal cooperation framework or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would streamline data requests, expand training programmes, and strengthen awareness initiatives on online safety and child protection.
She tasked all partners to ensure that the internet becomes a tool for empowerment, not exploitation, saying “each of us brings unique capabilities, and when we align them, we multiply our impact”
